Shoe machine



July 25, 1939. w. T. s. ROBERTS 2,167,056

' SHOE MACHINE Filed Sept. 7, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 1 //v NTUEC W16. W

July 25, 1939.

w. T. B. ROBERTS 2,167,056

SHOE MACHINE Filed Sept. 7,1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 w v m U U U July 25, 1939. w. T. a. ROBERTS SHOE MACHINE Filed Sept. '7, 1938,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE MACHINE New Jersey Application September 7, 1938, Serial No. 228,807 In Great Britain November 4, 1937 19 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes, and is herein illustrated as applied to a machine for lasting the toe ends of shoes, which machine is constructed generally as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,134,148, granted on October 25, 1938 upon an application of mine, but is modified in certain respects as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,135,677, granted on November 8, 1938 upon another application of mine. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to machines' of the particular character. The general object of the invention is to pro vide improved means for supporting or controlling shoes during operations thereon when the shoes are made of comparatively heavy stock. In accordance with the disclosure of Letters Patent No. 2,135,677, the shoe is supported against lengthwise movement inresponse to pressure of the toe-lasting wipers against it by a heel rest which is moved automatically into engagement with the heel end of the shoe by spring-operated mechanism when this mechanism is released to render it operative. The present invention, in

one aspect, provides additional mechanism for forcing the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has thus been applied to the shoe, to increase its effectiveness in resisting length- Wise movement of the shoe. As herein illustrated, idler pulleys over which chains connected to the heel rest run in moving the heel rest into engagement with the shoe aremoved bodily by a cam in the power operation of the machine to cause the chains to apply greater force to the heel rest. The construction herein shown is further such that this additional force is positively applied by the cam-operated pulleys, the. ends of the chains remote from the heel rest being looked, as heretofore, against reverse movement after the heel rest engages the shoe.

The invention further provides novel means for supporting the last in a location beyond the forepart thereof against undesirable heightwise movement. The machine shown in the lastmentioned Letters Patent includes a toe rest which engages the shoe at the top of the forepart and is movable in a direction heightwise of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoe thereon at a certain time in the power operation of the machine. For purposes of this invention a device arranged to support the last at the top thereof beyond the forepart is movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last to a position determined by the last when the work is presented to the machine and is then locked against movement relatively to the toe rest from the position thus determined while being permitted tomove with the toe rest when the latter is moved by the pressure of the shoe thereon. In a machine of the illustrated type this serves to avoid any danger that the last may betipped about an axis extending width- Wise thereof by the action of the toe-lasting wipers on heavy upper stock in wiping the upper heightwise' of the toe. More particularly, the construction herein shown comprises an upwardly extending bar arranged to support the inverted last under the cone of the last and initially depressible relatively to the toe rest to a position determined by the last, and mechanism automatically operative in the power operation of the machine to lock the bar against further depression relatively to the toe rest, this mechanism being carried by a support for the toe rest which is movable upwardly by the operator to force the toe rest against the shoe prior to the starting of the machine and is thereafter depressible with the toe rest in the power operation of the machine.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in right-hand side elevation and partly in section of a portion of the machine in which the invention is shown as embodied, with a shoe in position for the toelasting operation;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation on a larger scale of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view in right-hand side elevation of certain parts shown in Fig. 2, with a portion in section on the line III--III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in right-hand side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1 and of parts associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in right-hand side elevation and partly in section of other structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VIVI of Fig. 5, on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 7 is a. plan view of the toe-lasting wipers and of means associated therewith for positioning the toe end of the shoe, a shoe being shown in the position determined by such positioning means.

In view of the disclosures of the above-mentioned Letters Patent, the drawings show only as much of the machine as is necessary to illustrate the invention, and in so far as the structure does not differ substantially from that provided heretofore it will be only briefly described. The machine includes power-operated toe wipers 2 (Figs. 1 and '7) which are raised to wipe the upper about the toe end of the last upwardly to the edge of the insole and are thereafter advanced and closed to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over the insole. The position of the toe end of the shoe heightwise is determined by a holddown d engaging the fore-part of the insole, and the shoe is clamped against this holddown by a toe rest 6 mounted on a post 8 which is vertically movable in a jack casting iii supported at its lower end on a shaft 12. The jack casting is normally locked against swinging movement about the shaft l2 by a tongue M thereon cooperating with a member on the frame of the machine, as disclosed in Letters No. 2,335,677. The post 8 is raised to clamp the shoe by a vertically movable bar 28 which supports it, this bar being operated through a lever 28 by a link 22 connected to a treadle (not shown). Thereafter the bar l8 and the post 8 are controlled automatically in the power operation of the machine by pawls 24 engaging a ratchet wheel 26 formed integral with a pinion 28 which is rotatable on the shaft l2 and engages rack teeth 38 on the lower end portion of the bar. The pawls are pivotally mounted on a plate 32 which is rotatable on the shaft 52 and is connected by a rod 34 to mechanism including a spring 36 which acts through the plate and the pawls to hold the toe rest 6 pressed upward against the shoe but yields to permit a short downward movement of the toe rest with the shoe effected by the holddown t just after the upward movement of the wipers. The pawls are controlled by another plate 38 rotatable on the shaft i2 and are moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel 28 in response to movernent of this plate in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 1), the plate being moved in this manner by a spring ii] when permitted by a cam-controlled lever 32 engaging a lug 44 on the plate. The construction and operation of this pawland-ratchet mechanism are more fully disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,134,148.

As disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,135,677, the shoe is supported against lengthwise forward movement in the toe-lasting operation by a heel rest engaging its heel-end face, this heel rest being mounted on the upper end of a carrier arm 68 supported on a rod 5!] which is threaded in the front end of an arm 52. The arm 52 is bifurcated and is pivotally connected at its rear ends by pins it to the front ends of a pair of links 56 (Figs. 1 and 2) which are pivotally mounted at their rear ends on pins 58 carried by a bracket 83 fast on the previously mentioned vertically movable bar is. Between their opposite ends the links 56 are connected by other links only one of which is shown, to crank arms E i fast on a shaft 65 rotatable in ears on the bracket to. Fast on the shaft 66 is a pinion 68 engaging a vertical rack l!) secured to the jack casting 5153. Accordingly when the bar it! s raised by the treadle to force the toe rest against the shoe the links 55 are carried bodily upward by the bracket 6!] and are also swung upward about the pins 58, since the pinion 68 is turned by the stationary rack iii. The heel rest 46 is therefore moved upward from a com-- paratively low initial position to a position opposite the heel end of the shoe, its movement being accelerated relatively to that of the toe rest- The initial position of the carrier arm 18 which supports the heel rest is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1.

The heel rest is carried lengthwise of the shoev into shoe-engaging position, irrespective of the size of the shoe, by swinging movement of its carrier arm Q8 and the arm 52 about the pins 5Q. For this purpose two chains '52 are connected to the carrier arm and extend therefrom rearwardly and downwardly over a pair of idler pulleys l t, the lower ends of the chains being connected to drums 1 E (Figs. 1 and 2) fast on a shaft 178 rotatably mounted on the jack casting iii. Also fast on the shaft it is a disk 8% (Fig. 3) having mounted thereon a block 82 to which one end of a chain 8 5 is connected, this chain extending partly around a snail cam 86 fast on the shaft iii and being connected at its other end to a spring 88 the lower end of which is connected to the casting it. Accordingly this spring acts,

when permitted, to turn the shaft l8 and thus to operate the chains to swing the heel rest into shoe-engaging position.

The shaft ii? is so controlled as to prevent the heel rest from being swung toward the shoe as above described until the toe rest 6 is near the end of its upward movement, and the shaft is thereafter locked positively against reverse movement so as to prevent reverse movement of the heel rest. For these purposes there are fast on the shaft '38 three ratchet wheels ea, 52 and 94;, the teeth of the wheels 96 and 92 pointing in the same direction and the teeth of the wheel 94 pointing in the opposite direction. to turn about a rod at on the jack casting it are three bell-crank levers 93, 9% and H32. Fast on one arm of the bell-crank lever M2 is a pawl Hi l (Fig. 1) arranged to cooperate with the ratchet wheel 96 to prevent the shaft i8 from being turned by the spring 83, and fast on a rearwardly extending arm of each of the bellcrank levers 98 and M353 is a pawl m6 arranged to cooperate with the teeth of the respective ratchet wheels 93 and 92 to lock the shaft 18 against reverse turning movement, only the pawl on the bell-crank lever 9% being visible in the drawings. Another arm of the bell-crank lever Hi2 carries a roll m8 controlled by a cam plate lid carried by the vertically movable bracket 60, this cam plate being so formed that near the end of the upward movement of the toe rest it swings the bell-crank lever 82 to disconnect the pawl HM from the ratchet wheel Q5 and thus to permit the spring 88 to act. The same cam plate Hi! is arranged to control the bell-crank lever Hi5), permitting its pawl We to engage the ratchet wheel 92 substantially at the time when the spring 83 is thus released. The bell-crank lever 58 is similarly controlled by another cam plate H2 (Fig. 2) carried by the bracket 66 and arranged to act on a roll lid on this bell-crank lever. The teeth of the ratchet wheels 99 and Q2 are relatively staggered for greater precision,

so that one or the other of the two pawls H36 5 will be effective to hold the heel rest against any substantial reverse movement from the position to which it is moved by the spring 38. .A spring 255 tends to swing the bell-crank lever tea in Mounted the direction to carry its pawl ltd into engagement with the ratchet wheel 94, and preferably springs also are provided to cooperate with the cam plates in controlling the bell-crank levers 98 and I00. It will thus be seen that near the end of the upward movement of the toe rest, when the heel rest has been raised to a position opposite the heel-end face of the shoe, the spring 88 is released to permit it to swing the heel rest into engagement with the shoe, and that the heel rest is automatically locked against reverse movement during the lasting operation. When the toe rest is permitted to move downwardly after the lasting operation the downward movement of the cam plate IIO permits the pawl I04 to be swung by the spring I I6 again into engagement with the ratchet wheel 94, and the downward movement of this cam plate and the cam plate II2 serves to swing the pawls I06 away from the ratchet wheels which they control, thus releasing the heel rest so that it can be swung by the operator forwardly away from the toe rest against the resistance of the spring 88. It will be understood that the pawl I04 locks the heel rest against reverse movement from the position to which it is thus swung by the operator.

For the accomplishment of one of the objects of this invention each of the two idler pulleys I4 is supported on one of the forks of a forked lever II 8 which extends rearwardly and is pivotally mounted between its ends on a pin I20 supported by a bracket I22 (Fig. 4) which is fast on the jack casting I0. The rear end of the lever II8 carries a roll I24 herein shown in engagement with a peripheral face I26 formed on a cam wheel I28 which is mounted on the main cam shaft of the machine shown in Letters Patent No. 2,134,148, this being the cam shaft I30 shown in the present drawings. The cam wheel I28 has thereon a cam I32 arranged to engage the roll I24 and to swing the lever H8 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 4), thus causing the idler pulleys I4 by their action on the chains 12 to force the heel rest 46 more firmly against the shoe. The'cam I32 is preferably so arranged relatively to the wiper-operating cams of the machine that it thus acts on the lever H8 at the time in the cycle when the wipers are just beginning their overwiping operation to wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over the insole after having wiped the upper upwardly about the toe. This serves to avoid any danger of forcing the shoe too hard against the edges of the wipers in the upwiping operation and yet insures against any possibility of lengthwise movement of the shoe in a heelward direction at the time when the upper offers the greatest resistance to the advancing and closing movements of the wipers. As disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,140,652, granted on December 20, 1938 on an application of mine, the machine is so constructed that after having made one overiping movement the wipers are retracted nearly to the edge of the shoe bottom and then receive another overwiping movement of less extent than their first such movement prior to the driving of tacks to fasten the upper to the insole; and

the cam I32 is preferably further so formed asto permit a reverse swinging movement of the lever I I8 to relax the pressure of the heel rest on the shoe just after the second overw ping movement of the wipers has been completed. This serves to avoid any possibility that the shoe may be displaced lengthwise by the pressure of the heel rest against it after the completion of the overwiping operation.

In order to vary the amount of the extra force thus applied to the heel rest, in view of variations in the character of upper materials, provision is afforded for adjusting the lever II 8 to space the roll I24 more or less from the face I26 of the cam wheel I28 and thus to vary the amount of movement imparted to the lever by the cam I32. For this purpose a rod I34 is slidably mounted in a boss I36 on the jack casting I0 and is coupled to a pin I38 mounted in ears I40 on the lever I I8, the rod being provided with a slot I through which the pin extends. Threaded on the end of the rod I34 is a nut I42 engaging the boss I36 and by the turning of which adjustment of the lever II8 about the pin I20 is effected. The slot I4I permits the lever to be swung by the cam I32 relatively to the rod I34.

For supporting the heel end of the last underneath, as further insurance against tipping of the last by engagement of the wipers with comparatively heavy upper stock in the upwiping operation, there is provided in a housing I44 secured to the jack casting I0 a vertical guideway I46 (Fig. 5) for a slide I48 which has pins I50 and I52 projecting forwardly from its upper and lower ends for engaging the housing to prevent the slide from moving completely out of the guideway. A pair of light springs I54, connected to the'slide and to the housing, normally hold the slide at the upper limit of its movement along the guideway. A stud I56 (Figs. 5 and 6) projects forwardly from the slide I48, and rotatably mounted on this stud is a sleeve I58, the sleeve being held against movement lengthwise of the stud by a nut I60 on the stud.

Ext-ending upwardly from the sleeve I58 is an ear I62 (Fig. 6) in which is mounted a pin I64. Rotatably mounted on this pin is the lower end of an upstanding bar I66, the lower end of the bar being split to provide lugs I68 at opposite sides of the ear I62. The bar is prevented frictionally from turning freely about the pin I64 by a screw II0' which serves to force the lugs I68 toward each other and thus to hold them in frictional engagement with the ear I62. The bar I66 is normally held yieldingly in a vertical plane containing the axis of the stud I56 by a centralizing plunger I12 having a V-shaped upper end lying in a complementally shaped groove in the stud, the plunger being urged upwardly by a spring I'I4 mounted in a depending portion of the sleeve I58.

At its upper end the bar IE6 is provided with an enlarged head I'I6for engaging the top face of the cone of the last preferably in the vicinity of the usual last pin hole. It will be understood that by the springs I54 acting on the slide 448 the bar IE6 is held initially in a higher position than it occupies when a shoe is in position for the'lasting operation. When the operator presents a shoe to the machine with the bottom of its forepart againt the holddown 4 he p aces the cone of the last on top of the head I16 and forces the bar I66 downward relatively to the toe rest 6 a ainst the resistance of the springs I54 by pressure of the last thereon, so that the bar assumes aposit on determined bv the shoe and last. He also adjusts the bar to the proper position required bythe shape and size of the last downward movement relatively to the toe rest so as to provide a firm support for the heel end of the last, the locking of the bar taking place substantially at the time when the pawls 2d are moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel 26 to control the toe rest in the manner hereinbefore described. For this purpose there is secured on the rear face of the slide M8 a bar H8 having downwardly facing teeth thereon ar ranged to be engaged by a pair of vertically staggered horizontally movable pawl-s ltll mounted in guideways in the bracket to. At their rear ends these pawls have laterally extending portions engaged by the upper end of a lever 582 mounted to swing about a pin w l on the bracket Eli. Springs E tend to move the pawls 43E} forwardly into engagement with the teeth of the bar H8, but by means of the lever l82 the pawls are initially held retracted from the teeth. For this purpose the lever i182 is controlled by a pin 583 slidingly mounted in the jack casting ill, this pin having on its front end a head ilii for engaging the rear face of the lower end of the lever when the toe rest 6 is in shoe-clamping position. The pin M8 is controlled by a rod N2 the front end of which abuts against the rear end of the pin, this rod being mounted in the upper end of arm Hi l which is integral with the lever 212 which controls the pawls 2 3 as hereinbefore described. When this lever is swung in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) to permit the pawls 2 1 to engage the ratchet wheel 26, the swinging movement of the arm ltd causes the rod I92 to release the pin H38 and thus permit the pawls IE!) to be forced into locking positions by their springs i8 5. When in the course of the operation of the machine the toe rest ii receives a short downward movement with the shoe in response to the action of the holddown 3 on the shoe, as described Letters Patent No. 2,135,677, the bar N35 is permitted, along with the heel rest, to move downward with the toe rest and the shoe, since the pawls ltii are mounted in the bracket 59 which is fast on and moves downward with the toe rest support it.

Further to determine the proper position of the toe end of the shoe, there is provided a toeend gage lfifi (Figs. 1 and 7) supported over the wipers 2 in the same manner as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,135,677, this gage being arranged to abut against the end face of the shoe near the edge of the insole when the shoe is initially presented to the machine, and there are fastened to the forward ends of the wipers upwardly extending side gages 1% arranged to engage the shoe at the sides of the toe near the edge of the insole. In order that the proper positioning of the shoe with its end face in contact with the gage 595 will not be prevented or rendered diiiicult by contact of the edges of the wipers with the ears commonly formed in the upper materials at the corners of the toe in the pulling-over operation, especially if the upper stock is comparatively heavy, the cams shown in Letters Patent No. 2,134,148 for imparting advancing and closing movements to the wipers are so modified that initially the portions of the edges of the wipers at the end of the toe are spaced about a quarter of an inch rearwardly of the shoe-engaging face of the gage, as shown in Fig. 7, the shape of the cams being further such that the forward ends of the wipers are at this time closed inwardly far enough for the side gages E98 directly above the wiper edges to be located close to and preferably in contact with the sides of the toe. In the power operation of the machine, prior to their upwiping movement, the wipers are advanced lengthwise of the shoe and are also opened slightly so that their edges will properly engage the upper all around the toe, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 7.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, mechanism arranged to act automatically when released to move the heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe, means for initially restraining said mechanism from acting and for thereafter releasing it to cause it to act, and additional mechanism for forcing the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe by said firstnamed mechanism.

2. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, mechanism arranged to act automatically when released to move the heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe and to force it yieldingly against the shoe, means for initially restraining said mechanism from acting and for thereafter releasing it to cause it to act, and additional positively acting mechanism for forcing the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe by said firstnamed mechanism.

3. In a power-operated shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, mechanism arranged to act automatically when released to move the heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe, means for initially restraining said mechanism from acting and for thereafter releasing it to cause it to act prior to the starting of the power operation of the machine, and additional mechanism for automatically forcing the heel rest more firmly against the shoe in the power operation of the machine.

4. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, a spring for moving the heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe, means connecting said spring to the heel rest for thus moving the heel rest by the spring, means for releasing the spring to cause it to act, a device for locking said connecting means to prevent reverse movement of the heel rest, and mechanism arranged to act through said connecting means after it has thus been locked to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe.

5. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, a rotatable member for moving said heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe by rotation of said member in one direction, flexible means connecting said member to the heel rest for thus moving the heel rest by said member, means for preventing reverse rotation of said member, and mechanism arranged to act through said flexible connecting 75 means to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe by rotation of said member.

6. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, a rotatable member for moving said heel rest lengthwise of the shoe into such abutting relation to the shoe by rotation of said member in one direction, flexible means connecting said member to the heel rest for thus moving the heel rest by said member, a spring for thus rotating said member, means for holding the member initially against such rotation and for thereafter releasing it to the action of the spring, a device for locking said member against reverse rotation, and mechanism arranged to act positively through said flexible connecting means to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe by rotation of said member.

'7. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, flexible means connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, a device rotatable idly by contact of said flexible means therewith in thus applying the heel rest to the shoe, and means for moving said device bodily to cause said flexible means to force the heel rest more firmly against theshoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

8. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, flexible means connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, a spring for thus operating said flexible means, mechanism for locking said flexible means against reverse movement, a device rotatable idly by contact of said flexible means therewith in thus applying the heel rest to the shoe, and positively acting means for moving said device bodily to cause said flexible means to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

9. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, flexible means connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, a spring for thus operating said flexible means, mechanism for locking said flexible means against reverse movement, a device rotatable idly by contact of said flexible'means therewith in thus applying the heel rest to the shoe, a lever supporting said device, and a cam for swinging said lever to cause said device to act through the flexible means to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

10. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, chains connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, means for thus operating said chains, idler pulleys over which the chains run, and means for moving said idler pulleys bodily to cause the chains to force the heel restmore firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

11. In a shoe machine, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoewhen in operative position, chains connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, means for thus yieldingly operating said chains, mechanism for locking the chains against reverse movement, idler pulleys over which the chains run, and cam means for moving said idler pulleys bodily to cause the chains to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

12. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a heel rest arranged to abut against the heel end of the shoe when in operative position, chains connected to said heel rest for applying a pull thereto and thus moving it lengthwise of the shoe into abutting relation to the shoe, means for thus operating said chains, idler pulleys over which the chains run, a lever supporting said idler pulleys, and a cam for swinging said lever to cause the pulleys to act through the chains to force the heel rest more firmly against the shoe after it has been applied to the shoe.

13. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, said toe rest being movable with theshoe and last in a direction heightwise of the last in response to pressure of the shoe thereon in the course of the operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last at the top thereof in a location beyond the forepart, said device being movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last to a position determined by the last when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism for locking said device against movement relatively to the toe rest from the position thus determined while permitting it to move with the toe rest when the toe rest is moved by the pressure of the shoe thereon.

14. In a power-operated shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, said toe rest being movable with the shoe and last in a direction heightwise of the last in response to pressure of the shoe thereon in the course of the power operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last at the top thereof in a location beyond the forepart, said device being movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last by pressure of the last thereon when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism automatically operative in the power operation of the machine to lock said device against any further such movement relatively to the toe rest while permitting it to move with the toe rest when the toe rest is moved by the pressure of the shoe thereon.

15. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last positioned bottom upward, of a toe rest for supporting the shoe under the top of the forepart, said toe rest being yieldingly depressible with the shoe in the course of the operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last under the cone portion thereof, said device being yieldingly depressible relatively to the toe rest by pressure of the last thereon to permit it to assume a position determined by the last when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism for thereafter locking said device against further depression relatively to the toe rest while permitting it to be depressed with the toe rest when the toe rest is depressed with the shoe.

16. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, a support for said toe rest movable therewith in a direction heightwise of the last in response to pressure of the shoe on the toe rest in the course of the operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last at the top thereof in a location beyond the forepart, said device being yieldingly movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last by pressure of the last thereon when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism carried by said toe rest support for locking said device against any further such movement relatively to the toe rest while permitting it to move with the toe rest when the toe rest is moved by the pressure of the shoe thereon.

1'7. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a holddown for engaging the bottom of the shoe, a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, a support for said toe rest movable therewith to clamp the shoe against the holddown, said support and toe rest being reversely movable with the shoe in the course of the operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last at the top thereof in a location beyond the forepart, said device being yieldingly movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last by pressure of the last thereon when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism carried by said toe rest support for locking said device against any further such movement relatively to the toe rest after the clamping of the shoe by the toe rest while permitting said device to move with the toe rest when the toe rest is moved reversely with the shoe.

18. In a power-operated shoe 'machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a holddown for engaging the bottom of the shoe, a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, a support for said toe rest movable by the operator to cause the toe rest to clamp the shoe against the holddown prior to the starting of the power operation of the machine, said support and toe rest being reversely movable with the shoe in the power operation of the machine, a device for supporting the last at the top thereof in a location beyond the forepart, said device being yieldingly movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last by pressure of the last thereon when the work is presented to the machine, and mechanism carried by said toe rest support for automatically locking said device in the power operation of the machine against any further such movement relatively to the toe rest while permitting said device to move with the toe rest when the toe rest is moved reversely with the shoe.

19. In a shoe machine, the combination with means for operating on a shoe mounted on a last, of a toe rest for engaging the shoe at the top of the forepart, a bar arranged to extend heightwise of the last for supporting the last at the top of the cone portion thereof, said bar being yieldingly movable relatively to the toe rest in a direction heightwise of the last in response to pressure of the last thereon when the work is presented to the machine, mechanism for thereafter looking the bar against any further such movement relatively to the toe rest, the bar being mounted for swinging movements in directions widthwise of the last to permit it to assume different positions for controlling differently shaped lasts, and a yieldable centralizing device-arranged to control said bar and against the resistance of which it may thus be swung in one direction or the other.

WILLIAM THOMAS BUCKINGHAM ROBERTS. 

